Maison Autrique. Brussels, Belgium

If you love historic architecture with a soul, Maison Autrique is an absolute gem in Brussels. Located in the Schaerbeek municipality, this stunning building hides a fascinating story. It was built in 1893 and it is the very first landmark project by the legendary Victor Horta, designed for his friend Eugène Autrique. It represents a vital milestone where Horta’s revolutionary ideas began to pave the way for the Art Nouveau movement.

Eugène’s brief was modest: “no luxury, no extravagance,” just a comfortable family home. Yet, the young architect gave it everything, blending industrial iron with traditional stone and introducing an ornamental style based on natural curves. The staircase remains the heart of the house. It’s flooded with light and features breathtaking stained-glass windows depicting a fruit tree and flying herons, while the floor mosaic swirls beautifully like a sea conch.

By the 1990s, famous comic authors François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters fell in love with it. Alongside the local municipality, they launched a painstaking archaeological restoration, scraping walls with scalpels to recover Horta’s original 19th-century color palette. From this rescue mission, an “Imaginary House” was born, where heritage seamlessly blends with dreamlike theatrical staging.

Today, Maison Autrique is a living cultural space. Right at the door, the staff hands you an introductory paper to guide you through the floors at your own pace. The museum regularly hosts fantastic temporary exhibitions aimed at highlighting heritage in all its forms, from architecture to nature. To do this, they love exploring diverse mediums, meaning you might find comic strips, but also paintings, sculptures, and everything in between.

Planning a visit? Just keep in mind that the house is closed to the public on Mondays, Tuesdays and bank holidays!

Explore the exhibitions and plan your visit: autrique.be

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